[ilikesax]

Hi, I have Buescher Big B and it has not an original neck, so there is problem with sound (higher E and F are too low) amy suggestions where could I get a suitable neck for my sax?

 

[RootyTootoot]

Try here: http://www.musicmedic.com/catalog/products/part-gh100.html
They are expensive though. I've been on the look out for an original BB tenor neck for absolutely ages with no luck. They hardly ever seem to come up. And there's an awful lot of Big Bs and Aristos knocking about in saveable condition (IMHO) except for their necks. It's most irritating.

 

[ilikesax]

yea... they really are expensive...

 

[RootyTootoot]

Have you had the horn serviced recently? Are you sure the issues you're having are really to do with the neck? Could be leaks etc? (At which point my technical expertise has run out ). Good luck.

 

[Enviroguy]

Have you thought of a Phil Barone neck? These are supposed to work well on older horns and I know the tenon can be stretched to fit the Buescher. There's a blemished silver plated Barone neck for sale right now on eBay.

 

[ilikesax]

Ok it's interesting... have you heard or seen how these necks fit on buescher?

 

[ilikesax]

Have you had the horn serviced recently? Are you sure the issues you're having are really to do with the neck? Could be leaks etc? (At which point my technical expertise has run out ). Good luck.

yes I have serviced it recently... I thik they are because of neck... the sax seems to be ok...

 

[RootyTootoot]

Ok it's interesting... have you heard or seen how these necks fit on buescher?

I have one on my Buescher Big B tenor. It had to be stretched and it fits fine (get someone to do that with the right equipment). My very general comments on how it works with the horn would be that it opens up the tone/volume of the horn but also maybe makes intonation trickier.

 

[ilikesax]

and your sax is in tune?
thanks

 

[Grumps]

Try a Bundy neck, if you can get a hold of one. The Selmer Bundys were based on the Aristocrats.

 

[bfoster64]

Try a Bundy neck, if you can get a hold of one. The Selmer Bundys were based on the Aristocrats.

That sounds like good advice to me since the Barone neck has a very different curve than any Buescher neck I have seen.

I've tried my Barone neck on both my SDA and B&S tenors. On the SDA, everything is great--no intonation problems at all. On the B&S some notes were thrown way off. An after-market neck is not going to work well on every horn.

 

[Enviroguy]

I'm not so sure about the Bundy neck. I used one on my 400 for a while and it did fit fine. But it really didn't create a good tone and the intonation wasn't that good. Today I don't even use the original Bundy neck on my old Bundy school horn that I use for a backup.

 

[RootyTootoot]

Try a Bundy neck, if you can get a hold of one. The Selmer Bundys were based on the Aristocrats.

That is very interesting advice. As I said, I use a Barone neck on mine and yes, true, the profile of the neck is different from the original Buescher necks. I would say the intonation is fine, but i have been playing it with that neck for quite some while so could be making some adjustments. That comment's actually got me thinking whether i might be able to get hold of a Bundy neck myself just to compare. The post above is off-putting re this idea though. What neck are you usng on the 400 now, Enviroguy?

 

[Enviroguy]

After the Bundy neck, I bought a Yani 991 neck that you can see in my avatar. The intonation was ok but the tone was too bright for my liking. I also used a FPB Moor neck that I got on eBay. These necks are supposed to be made by the same guy that makes Phil Barone's necks. It sounded good but added a Selmer-like quality to the tone.

Finally, my tech decided he could fix my original underslung 400 neck which had been bent and poorly repaired before. And it sounds the best and has next to perfect intonation, so that is what I use today. But it's slightly ugly close up.

I use the Moor neck on my Bundy which really improves its intonation. This makes me think the original Bundy neck is the worst of the bunch and may not be that well designed. My Bundy is and early 1970's models in the 6xx,xxx serial number range. Though the dimensions are pretty well the same, you may have more luck with an older Bundy neck.

 

[Grumps]

Yeah, but will an Aristocrat neck fit a 400, because I'm not saying a Bundy neck might fit a 400; only an Aristocrat of which it was based. Now a Signet neck might fit a 400...

 

[ilikesax]

Thanks...I'll see what can I do... actually theere are problems to get this bundy neck too, because I live in Latvia and there isn't so big variety of old horns... but I'll try

 

[Enviroguy]

Yeah, but will an Aristocrat neck fit a 400, because I'm not saying a Bundy neck might fit a 400; only an Aristocrat of which it was based. Now a Signet neck might fit a 400...

Grumps,

The other day I actually saw a Signet built on the 400 design. All other Signets I've even seen were more like the Aristocrat. So I stand corrected. The Signet/400 lives.

And I've always found most of these necks to be interchangeable within a degree or two. Most of the post- and pre- Selmer Bueschers tenors I have seen appear to have very close tenon sizes. I'm sure there's a few big exceptions to that.

 

[Grumps]

The other day I actually saw a Signet built on the 400 design. All other Signets I've even seen were more like the Aristocrat.

Did it have the S bell to bow brace?

 

[awholley]

Thanks...I'll see what can I do... actually theere are problems to get this bundy neck too, because I live in Latvia and there isn't so big variety of old horns... but I'll try

The Elkharts you see on eBay are Aristocrat bodies and necks (at least the ones where the bell keys are on the same side). You can get one of those cheap (like < $200) and use its neck and have a backup sax for when your Aristocrat is being serviced. Of course shipping to Latvia will probably add another $100 to that price.

Alan

 

[Enviroguy]

Carbs has a late Buescher tenor for sale here on SOTW. The neck does not have a brace and it sort of looks like an older Aristocrat neck. I think he only wanted around $225 for the whole horn and has gotten no bites. You might check with him to see where that neck came from.

And Grumps,

Sorry, but I don't remember if the Signet/400 I saw had the S-brace or not. It pretty well looked like my 400 with the half-round (instead of wire) key guards and the big bell. I've never seen anything like it before.